Eric Barlow won the Republican nomination for Wyoming governor on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Barlow, a former state House speaker and current state senator, was chosen to run to succeed Gov. Mark Gordon, who decided against seeking another term, the AP said.
Barlow emerged from a four-way primary that included Trump-endorsed State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien and professional bull rider Curt Blake, the AP reported. Degenfelder finished second and Bien finished third. The AP said Blake had less than 1,000 votes with 26% of the total counted.
Barlow will face Democrat Kenneth Casner in the Nov. 3 general election, the AP said. The contest is widely viewed as favoring Republicans in the deep-red state, the AP reported.
Campaign finance filings cited by the Associated Press showed Degenfelder and Barlow reporting roughly similar fundraising totals heading into the final stretch, about $1.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively. Bien reported about $192,000 raised, while Blake reported no money raised, the AP said.
The governor’s race is one of several open-seat contests in Wyoming this year, including races for U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction. The Associated Press noted that every statewide elected office is currently held by a Republican.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
